1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to protective eye devices for patients receiving oral treatment, and more specifically to eye protectors for dental patients.
2. Description of Related Art
Patients receiving oral treatment often expose their eyes to harm. Whether the treatment is dental, orthodontic or surgical, treating physicians often work with highly sharp objects that require precision handling. A slight mishandling of a sharp instrument may cause permanent eye damage to the patient.
In addition to handling sharp objects, oral physicians typically work with a variety of materials and chemicals, all of which are handled within inches of the exposed eyes of a patient. For example, orthodontists commonly handle metals wires, brackets, and epoxy. Dentists often apply chemicals to the mouth. If spilled such chemicals can easily reach the eyes and cause severe damage. Even a routine dental cleaning involves many procedures, such as scrubbing with a brush and suctioning with a tube, that can cause fluids and other debris to splatter into the patient's eyes.
Despite these hazards, practitioners commonly do not require or even invite their patients to wear some type of protective device. This also makes the practitioner's job more difficult and stressful as he or she must exercise extreme care and precision in handling instruments, materials and chemicals. Practitioners also subject themselves and their businesses to potential liability resulting from lack of protection for the patient's eyes.
The prior art includes protective eye devices which are heavy and bulky and consequently uncomfortable for the patient. Furthermore, prior art devices are expensive to manufacture and, thus, are not disposable. This leaves patients exposed to infection from contaminated eye devices which have been used repeatedly.
Representative of this art is U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,119 (Guerrant), which discloses a frame with a shield and a strap secured to the frame at substantially the same level as the inferior apex of the frame. A slight horizontal distance is shown between the wearer's forehead and the superior rim of the frame.